Field will now take the role of Vice President of Vehicle Programs. He has prior experience in the automotive sector, having previously worked at Ford and Segway before starting at Apple in 2008.

"Until Tesla came along, I had never seriously considered leaving Apple," Field said. "I started my career with the goal of creating incredible cars, but ultimately left the auto industry in search of fast-paced, exciting engineering challenges elsewhere."

Tesla co-founder and CEO Elon Musk added: "Doug has demonstrated the leadership and technical talent to develop and deliver outstanding products, including what are widely considered the best computers in the world.

"Tesla's future depends on engineers who can create the most innovative, technologically advanced vehicles in the world."